We hosted a fascinating selection of speakers this week at Canons.
Politics Society hosted Dr Ayse Zarakol, Professor of Internation Relations from Emmanuel College, Cambridge to give a talk entitled ‘The Liberal International Order and the Merger of Its Discontents’. The Liberal International Order (LIO) is currently being undermined by states such as Russia and by voters in the West. Dr Zarakol argued that both veins of discontent are driven by resentment toward the LIO’s status hierarchy rather than simply by economic grievances. Approaching discontent historically and sociologically, we show that there are two strains of recognition struggles against the LIO: one in the core of the West, driven by populist politicians and their voters, and one on the semiperiphery, fueled by competitively authoritarian governments and their supporters. At this particular moment in history, these struggles are digitally, ideologically, and organizationally interconnected in their criticism of LIO institutions, amplifying each other. The LIO is thus being hollowed out from within at a time when it is also facing some of its greatest external challenges.
Actor and drama therapist Barbie Goldfoot gave a talk on ‘The 3Cs: Confidence, Clarity, and Charisma’. Ms Goldfoot is one of the UK’s most accomplished public speaking coaches and founder of Splendid Speech. With over 20 years of experience and expertise in the UK and Hong Kong, she has worked with a wide range of clients from the corporate, commercial, charity and events sectors. As part of our of Mental Health and Wellbeing week, Barbie’s talk highlighted the ways in which students can avoid public speaking anxiety.
International lawyer Dr Paddeu from Queens’ College, Cambridge, gave a talk entitled, ‘Using Force Against Terrorists: Perils and Prospects.’ Dr Paddeu’s main research interests are the law of State responsibility, the law on the use of force, and international investment law. Dr Paddeu is also interested in the legal theory and practice of exceptions. Her work has been published in leading international law journals, including the British Yearbook of International Law, the European Journal of International Law and the American Journal of International Law. Before arriving at Cambridge, Dr Paddeu worked for Baker&McKenzie as a law clerk and a paralegal in the criminal law and labour law departments.
For the final Nicholson Lecture of the term. Mrs Hitchen delivered a talk entitled ‘What is diversity and how do we measure it?’ The lecture explored diversity in the world of Biology, Ecology, Economics and society as a whole. The talk discussed ways to quantify and measure diversity, exploring the importance of diversity in our complex world and how diversity and innovation are linked.
